The two Zaisuke led a bunch of officials to run around the dirt road, going door to door to buy dry food, and the official robes of various colors staggered back and forth, looking both funny and poignant.

Yang Guozhong came to the house of an adobe-walled house, knocked on the door, held the money in both hands, and said to the old man in front of him: "Old man, sell me some dry food."

The old man looked down at his outfit and asked in surprise, "You are a big official of the imperial court, why did you come to our small place?"

Yang Guozhong only bowed his head and kept silent, the old man's family brought a few Hu Biscuits from the kitchen, he stuffed the money into the other party's hand and turned his head and ran.

"Hey! I don't need so much money. ”

Yang Guozhong came back with a hu cake and presented it to the emperor and the concubine, Li Longji was hungry all morning, so he ate a piece of cake with dry water, so he finally filled his stomach.

Wei Jiansu and others also came back with food, followed by a large group of people, carrying baskets and ceramic basins, kneeling in front of the palace to offer coarse grains and rice porridge, as well as some fine bran.

The concubines, kings, and emperors and grandchildren rushed over to take the food, grabbed it with their hands and stuffed it into their mouths, but because there were too many people in the entourage, most of them did not eat enough, and most of the soldiers of the Longwu army did not eat.

A few of the concubines wept miserably, and soon a large number of them were infected, and all the kings and grandchildren wept, and the officials and forbidden soldiers also wiped their tears from the side.

The old emperor said while crying: "Cry, but only cry today, and give me the spirit in the future, woo, don't cry again."

After a funeral cry, the oppressive atmosphere in the ranks seemed to have been reduced a lot, Li Longji asked Yang Guozhong to distribute the grain money to the people at the price, and asked the elders in the township who organized the food donation to come forward to face the saints.

This old man named Guo Congjin was also quite bold, and came to the emperor with white hair on crutches, and said to him: "Sage, An Lushan harbors evil intentions and conspires to rebel for a long time, and some people go to the court to denounce his conspiracy, but Your Majesty often kills these people, so that An Lushan's treacherous plan succeeds, so that Your Majesty fled. ”

"I have heard that the emperors of the early generations sought to extend visits to the loyal and good people to spread the word for this reason. I still remember that when Song Jing was the prime minister, he dared to make a direct admonition, so the world was safe and sound. But since Tianbao, the ministers in the court have been taboo to speak out, and no one dares to tell the truth, just blindly flattering to please His Majesty. ”

"Your Majesty doesn't know what is happening outside the palace gates, and those subjects who are far away from the court have long known that there will be today, but because of the strict palace ban, far away from Your Majesty, the loyalty cannot be reached. If it weren't for An Lushan's rebellion, how could I see Your Majesty and tell it to your face when things have come to this point! ”

Li Longji nodded haggardly: "What you said is all my fault, but it's too late to regret it."

He comforted Guo Congjin and said: "Mr. Guo, please rest assured, my Datang's Sheji will not end like this, my sons are still loyal to Sheji, and the courtiers are still waiting for us to arrive in Shuzhong, we will definitely work hard and sympathize with the soldiers and ministers, and it won't be long before we will recapture Guanzhong and Luoyang and recapture the world."

Old man Guo just sighed: "Please Your Majesty use these words to encourage yourself."

The emperor waved the old man back down and ordered his entourage to go to the countryside to buy food and make an appointment to assemble and set off.

Along the way, officials and soldiers continued to flee, and when the team of nearly 10,000 people arrived in Jincheng County late at night, there were only more than 4,000 people left, and even Yuan Siyi, the eunuch who was favored by the emperor, also escaped by night.

The county magistrates and the people of Jincheng County have disappeared, many people's rice jars and buckets are still there, the soldiers and officials began to make fires to cook, and the princess and the county lord went to collect firewood.

At this time, it was the windy season of spring, and the team was stationed in the county government and the nearby Jincheng Post Station, where the black lights were blinding, and the wind and sand on the loess plain blew into Diao Dou. Gao Lishi brought Li Longji a bowl of porridge mixed with dust.

The emperor was not in a hurry to eat, but stood up and looked around, and when he saw which of the officials who did not have food in his hand, he shouted for them to prepare.

"The soldiers and officials are working harder than me, let them eat first! The princes are all later! Eat less and don't go hungry!"

After repeated persuasions from everyone, the emperor retreated to the grass hall of the post station, Yang Yuhuan took a bowl of porridge and ate a bite or two, then ran to the door with his stomach covered and vomited. Li Longji picked up the bowl and tasted it, feeling bitter and difficult to swallow, but he squatted beside the pillar casually and forced the bowl of porridge down.

After eating, everyone began to gather to rest, and lay down around the houses near the post station, and at this time, regardless of the high and low, they slept on each other's legs. The ladies all gathered together, and they ran out in the field, and four or five concubines and princesses squatted in a circle, looking around vigilantly.

On the second day they continued on their journey, but as they went, food became scarce and scarce, and the soldiers complained of misery.

On the 14th, the fleeing team came to the place of Ma Weiyi, and the team was extremely tired and their morale was extremely low.

At this time, it was almost dusk, there were crows crying in the mountains and forests on both sides of the post station, Li Heng was squatting under a pine tree with vegetables on his face, Li Jingzhong stood in front of him and whispered: "Your Highness, the time has come, the angry soldiers of the Longwu Army are like a fire, as long as they provoke a little, they can do anything." ”

Li Heng said hesitantly: "Is this good, so that our father and son are really strangers." ”

"Your Highness! If you don't send it at this time, let alone when, when you get to Jiannan, it is Yang Guozhong's territory! We'll be at a loss for what to do. ”

Li Heng finally made up his mind: "Go and invite General Chen Xuanli to come over, we need his support." ”

After a while, Chen Xuanli also came to the tree, bowed to Li Heng and said: "Your Highness, today's disaster is all due to Yang Guozhong's trouble, An Lushan harbors evil intentions, but without him to help the trouble, how can it be so fast!" For his own power, he prevented the sage from summoning the Three Towns Jie Du to make Li Siye lead the troops into the court, and forced Ge Shuhan to lead the troops out of Tongguan and was ambushed by An Lushan and the whole army was annihilated. ”

Li Heng looked up into his eyes: "What does the general think?"

Chen Xuanli paused word by word: "Today, here and now, is the day of the fall of the Yang family." ”

Li Heng pursed his lips and replied lightly: "Okay."

……

The sun is about to be submerged in the mountains and forests, the mountain road is filled with white smoke from the cooking stove, the south gate of Ma Weiyi began to change guards, and Zhang Xiaojing, the marquis of the Longwu Army, took dozens of soldiers to replace the sentry during the day. He made eye contact with his men, then leaned against the doorpost and chewed on the leaves.

Yang Guozhong took the officials to buy some food from nowhere, wrapped in yellow silk cloth and rode into the south gate, and more than a dozen Tibetan envoys standing in the open space blocked Yang Guozhong, one of them grabbed Yang Guozhong's horse reins and said loudly: "Right Prime Minister, give us some food!" You can't let us, the Gentile envoys, starve to death with you! Isn't this a faux pas on the part of Datang!"

Yang Guozhong pulled back the reins and said angrily: "No! Even Your Majesty and the princes haven't had enough to eat, where are you!"

"What's in here!"

Zhang Xiaojing, who was leaning on the doorpost with his hands on his chest, stared at Yang Guozhong with disdain to quarrel with the envoy, spit out the leaf residue in his mouth, and suddenly shouted loudly: "Yang Guozhong and the Hu people have rebelled!"

More than a dozen Longwu soldiers drew their swords and rushed forward, so frightened that the Tibetan envoy hurriedly hugged his head and ran away, Yang Guozhong also reacted very quickly, shouted and drove his horse towards the west gate of the post station.

A soldier took out a longbow from behind his back, drew the bowstring and shot it, slamming it into Yang Guozhong's saddle, and the guy crouched on the horse's back and waved his whip, and fled faster.

"Bring it!" Zhang Xiaojing snatched the bow and arrow from the soldier's hand, pulled the full moon and raised it slightly, and the arrow drew an arc in the air, hitting Yang Guozhong's back shoulder blade.

Yang Guozhong groaned bitterly, although he did not hurt his life, the horse's speed slowed down significantly. The soldiers of the Long Wu army rushed after him, dragged him off his horse, cut off his head after dismembering his body with a knife, hung it on a spear and erected it outside the west gate.

The soldiers took the opportunity to clamour: "Yang Guozhong has been ambushed!" We should continue to purge their friends!"

At this time, there was no need for someone to command, Ma Weiyi became a pot of porridge outside the chaos, Long Wujun rushed to the thatched hut where the Yang family was resting, and dragged Yang Guozhong's son Yang Huo, the servant of the household department, out and killed, Mrs. Qin, Mrs. Han and their children were beheaded to death with knives, and the corpses were arranged in a row.

Imperial Historian Wei Fangjin was so shocked that his face was red, and he said loudly: "You are so bold that you dare to murder the prime minister!"

A lieutenant turned around with a bloodstained knife and stabbed him in the abdomen: "Fuck you!"

The other man trampled his body to the ground, pulled out the blade, and wiped it on the cuff.

The surrounding officials and their families were terrified, snuggling together like lambs and shivering.